1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cooling and ventilation systems for building structures, and more particularly, relates to a low noise whole house fan system and methods of installation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fans, air conditioners, and various other systems have been developed for cooling and ventilating residential and commercial building structures. Most fan systems are designed to create airflow inside a building. One such type of fan system is a whole house fan system. Whole house fan systems generally operate by drawing cooler air from outside through open windows and doors into the living area of a house. The fan is typically mounted adjacent to an opening formed in the ceiling and draws cooler air in from outside. The cooler air is then routed through the living area and forced up through the ceiling into the attic where it is exhausted out through a vent. Louvered shutters are often placed over the vent to prevent cooled or heated air from escaping when the fan is not in use.
Traditional whole house fans are usually large fans installed on the attic floor flush with the ceiling of the house. In operation, these fans tend to generate quite a bit of noise because of their large size. Moreover, vibrations due to the fan being mounted directly on a portion of the building structure can also generate undesirable noise. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a whole house fan system which will overcome or ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art systems.